Terms and Concepts
Allegory- An allegory is a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one. As a literary device, an allegory is a metaphor in which characters, places or events are used to deliver a broader message about real-world issues and themes.
Capitalism- An economic political system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state. (Examples: United States, United Kingdom, Austria, South Korea, etc.)
Communism- A political and economic system that aims to replace private property and profit-based economy with public ownership and communal control of (at least) the major means of production (e.g., mines, and factories) and the natural resources of a society. An extreme form of socialis. (Examples: China, North Korea, Cuba, Vietnam, and Laos)
Democracy- Democracy is a form of government in which all eligible citizens participate equally--either directly or through elected representatives--in the proposal, development, and creation of laws. It encompasses social, economic, and cultural elements of a society. (Examples: United States, Canada, Norway, New Zealand, etc.)
Dictatorship- A dictatorship is defined as an autocratic or authoritarian form of government in which a government is ruled by an individual. The dictator has total power, and has often obtained this position through force. (Examples: Adolf Hitler (Germany), Joseph Stalin (Soviet Union), Napoleon (France) and Kim Jong-un (North Korea)
Satire- Satire is the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other societal issues.
Socialism- An economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and co-operative management of the economy. "Social Ownership" may refer to cooperative enterprises, common ownership, state ownership, citizen ownership of equity, or any combination of these. (Examples: China, North Korea, Cuba, Vietnam, and Laos)
Totaliterianism- A politcal system in which the state (a single party) holds total authority over the society and seeks to control all aspects of public and private life wherever possible, often through restriction, mass surveillance, and terroris. (Examples: Italy under Benito Mussolini (1922–43), the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin (1924–53), Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler (1933–45), the People's Republic of China under the influence of Mao Zedong (1949–76), and North Korea under the Kim dynasty (1948– ).)
Tsarism (often Czarism)- A system of government by a tsar (emperor), in Russia until 1917. The tsar has absolute power and authority, including over religious issues. (Example: Russia)
Details from the Book:
* Animal Farm is an allegory because it represents the Russian Revolution
* Purpose for writing Animal Farm: Orwell wrote Animal Farm as a satirical fable against Stalin's tyrannical control, stating that he wrote it with the intention of 'fusing political purpose and artistic purpose into one whole'
The 7 Commandments:
1) Whatever goes upon 2 legs is an enemy.
2) Whatever goes upon 4 legs, or has wings, is a friend.
3) No animal shall wear clothes.
4) No animal shall sleep in a bed.
5) No animal shall drink alcohol.
6) No animal shall kill any other animal.
7) All animals are equal.
* Old Major (pig) inspried the initial revolution to overthrow Mr. Jones in Chapter 1.
* Snowball and Napoleon (pigs) stepped up as leaders after Mr. Jones left.
* Napoleon blames Snowball for the windmill falling and all of the other problems on the farm because Napoleon was using him as a scapegoat. All the other animals would blame Snowball and not Napoleon for things that happened on the farm.
* Boxer's two sayings he lived by was "I will work harder" and "Napoleon is always right"
* The educated animals on the farm were the pigs.
* Foreshadow:
- Corruption of Napoleon: starting with taking the cow's milk for the pigs
- Execution of animals: Napoleon’s decision to execute other animals is foreshadowed in Chapter 1, when Old Major says: “You young porkers who are sitting in front of me, every one of you will scream your lives out at the block within a year.” This prophecy comes true, but instead of being killed by Mr. Jones on the butcher’s “block,” the porkers are killed on Napoleon’s orders on the executioner’s “block.” By using an example of Mr. Jones’s cruelty to foreshadow Napoleon’s, the novella argues that the two regimes, human and pig, are essentially the same.
- Boxer's Death: When Napoleon's dogs “go quite mad” and attack Boxer. Although Boxer is unharmed, this incident foreshadows Napoleon's decision to have Boxer killed. Boxer's death is also foreshadowed by the novella's many references to the pasture that will be set apart for retired animals.
* Ironic about the end of the story: The ending doesn't offer much hope for a workable political system with true equality for all. Rather, the ending posits that the corrupting nature of power dooms all political systems to failure.
* The windmill represents the dreams of the animals to have a free life. In Russia, it represents the dreams of the Russin people.
Characters/References:
Old Major: Karl Marx/Vladimir Lenin (pig)
Mr. Jones: Czar Nicholas II (farmer)
Napoleon: Joseph Stalin (pig)
Snowball: Leon Trotsky (pig)
Squealer: Minister of Propaganda (pig)
Mr. Frederick: Adolf Hitler (Pinchfield Farm)
Mr. Pilkington: England (and its allies) (Forwood Farm)
Boxer and Clover: Working Class (horses)
The Dogs: Secret Police (raven)
Mollie: The Bourgeoisie (horse)
Benjamin: Cynical Russians (donkey)
The Sheep: Strong believers in Communism
Events:
Building of the Windmill: 5-year plans
Execution of Animals: Show Trails
Selling the Wood: Germany and Russia agree not to attack each other
1st Destruction of the Windmill: Germany attacks Russia
2nd Destruction of the Windmill: Siege of Stalingrad
Characterize the Main Characters:
Look on pages 3-6 and 47-58 in your book.